Distribution and Resources of Dispersed Metals in Pb-Zn Deposits of Qinling Orogenic Belt
Li Zhanke
Hu Jia
Zhang Jun
Li Xiaoming
Wang Chang
Suo Zuzhen
Zhou Junjie
Ke Da
Abstract：Dispersed metals such as gallium(Ga),germanium(Ge)and indium(In)play significant roles in high-tech development and national defense construction and have been classified as strategic and critical metals in China,USA and Europe.Pb-Zn deposits are not only the primary source of lead and zinc non-ferrous metals,but also rich in dispersed metal resources.The Qinling orogenic belt is an important Pb-Zn resource-producing area in China.Research on dispersed metals in the Pb-Zn deposits of this area is relatively weak,and there is a lack of systematic evaluation of dispersed metal resources.This study selected 19 representative Pb-Zn deposits in the West Qinling and East Qinling districts as the research objects.The trace element composition of sphalerite from different deposits determined using LA-ICP-MS with previous analytical data were summarized to reveal the contents and occurrences of dispersed metals Ga,Ge,In,and Cd.The research results indicate that the contents of Ga and Ge in sphalerite from Pb-Zn deposits in the West Qinling district are slightly higher than those in the East Qinling district.Among them,the Ga content in the Lengshuibeigou deposit is the highest(ave.～210×10-6),and the Ge content in the Xitonggou deposit is the highest(ave.～145×10-6)The contents of In and Cd in sphalerite from Pb-Zn deposits in the East Qinling district were significantly higher than those in the West Qinling district.Among them,the Luotuoshan deposit contains the highest In(ave.～304×10-6)while the Poshan deposit contains the highest Cd(ave.～7 186×10-6).With the exception of a few deposits that contained a small amount of independent Ge minerals,the dispersed metals Ga,Ge,In,and Cd in the Pb-Zn deposits of the Qinling orogenic belt mainly entered the sphalerite lattice in the form of isomorphism with Cu ions replacing Zn ions.Based on the results of this study and the zinc resource data of the deposits,the evaluation of dispersed metal resources in the Qinling orogenic belt was carried out using the mineral calculation method.The evaluation results demonstrate that the distribution of Ga resources in the Qinling orogenic belt is uneven.Among them,the Lengshuibeigou deposit in the East Qinling district has the highest Ga resources(～479 t).Ge resources are mainly distributed in the West Qinling district,with the Ge resource of the Luoba deposit being the highest(～190 t).In resources are concentrated in the East Qinling district,with the In resources of the Luotuoshan deposit being the highest(～450 t).The Cd resource in the Qinling orogenic belt is relatively abundant,with the Cd resources of the Changba-Lijiagou deposit reaching as high as 21 000 t.This study systematically identified the distribution patterns of dispersed metals Ga,Ge,In,and Cd in Pb-Zn deposits in the Qinling orogenic belt and conducted a preliminary resource evaluation,which holds significant guiding significance for the comprehensive utilization of associated dispersed metals in Pb-Zn deposits in the area.
Keywords：Qinling orogenic beltPb-Zn depositdispersed metalsresource evaluationcomprehensive utilizationmineralogyore deposit
Publication Date：2025-06-30
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：24( 2083-2106 )